As a woman with already thick hair I don’t look forward to those luscious locks bestowed on women during pregnancy. My already thick hair does not look pretty when it gets thicker, it just isn’t a good look for me. Not to mention the crazy growth spurt pregnant hair often goes through. By the end of nine months I has more than my fair share of hair, way more than my fair share. Then the postpartum hair loss started, yikes what a mess.

For women with thin hair, looking to add a little body, the changes that take place with your hair during pregnancy can be a blessing. Those longer, fuller locks can be beautiful. For those with already thick hair, not so much.

So what exactly causes those longer, fuller locks during pregnancy? A normal cycle for hair when you are not pregnant is to grow approximately 1/2 inch a month for 2-6 years at which point it enters the “resting” phase where it doesn’t grow for 2-3 months and then finally it falls out. Everyone loses hair continuously.  During pregnancy the rate of hair growth often increases and hair remains in the resting phase longer than normal. The rate at which a pregnant woman loses hair slows causing her hair to become thicker and since it is growing faster it also gets longer.

But, all good things must come to an end. Once the pregnancy is over the hair begins to return to a more normal cycle. The rate of growth slows and all that hair that was in the resting phase begins to fall out. Hence the large quantities of hair that fall out after you deliver the baby.  Most women will experience this increased hair loss immediately after giving birth.  You will continue to lose hair in large quantities for several months. Most women experience the most significant hair loss during the 3rd month postpartum. Some women do experience some thinning of the hair before their hair returns to it’s normal growth/fall out cycle.

My hair, as I mentioned is extremely thick at the best of times, and grows fairly quickly. However, during pregnancy it goes to a whole new level. My hair grew over 6 inches in 5 months and got so thick I could barely wrap a hair elastic around my ponytail twice! The quantity of hair that gathers in the bathtub when I have a shower is scary. It literally looks like I’ve killed a small animal, gross! I’ll be glad when the hair loss slows, although it can keep falling out all it wants since I still have way too much hair for my liking.

If you are at all concerned about how much hair your are losing or you are getting bald patches be sure to discuss your symptoms with your doctor. Hair loss is normal during postpartum, but if you are losing to much hair it could be sign that something else is going on.

Having a baby can be rough on your body, any woman who has been through labor and delivery (either vaginal or c-section) will agree with that.  Between the hormones, the tearing and inevitable stitches, hemorrhoids, and lack of sleep you will find it takes you a while to get back on your feet.  Taking the time to rest and recover is important.  However, being the mother to a helpless little newborn means spending a lot of time taking care of their needs and a lot of time forgetting about your own needs.  Even though there is something so much more important to think about remember to take the time to think about yourself, especially in those first few weeks postpartum.

Although, (thankfully) postpartum complications are rare they do occur.  Being on top of things and aware of what is going on with your body is important.  Knowing when things seem amiss and when you should be giving your doctor are a call will help make sure you don’t ignore a troublesome and potentially dangerous complication.  I experienced my own postpartum complication.  About a week after my daughter was born I hemorraged and at first I didn’t really think anything of the extra bleeding because I was too busy enjoying my daughter and taking care of her.  I eventually had to call my doctor in the wee hours of the morning when things got progressively worse.  I wish I had been paying closer attention and called earlier in the day, but luckily things worked out well anyway.

Here are some of the signs to look for.  You should give your doctor a call if:

• Your bleeding does not slow down and stays bright red after the first few days.
• Heavy bleeding begins again after slowing down.
• You begin passing blood clots bigger than a quarter.
• You develop a fever as it could be a sign that you have developed an infection.
• Your afterpains get worse instead of better.
• You have persistent pain anywhere in your abdomen or pelvis.
• You have worsen pain, swelling, redness or discharge at your c-section incision site.
• You have worsen pain, a foul-smelling odor, discharge, or swelling around your episiotomy.
• You have severe or persistent headaches.
• You have severe or persistent vomitting.
• You are feeling extreme sadness or depression or have thoughts of harming your baby.

Postpartum complications are rare but they do occur.  If you are at all worried about something you are experiencing call your doctor.  Before you leave the hospital your doctor will talk to you about your specific situation and what to watch out for (if they don’t, ask).

Having a baby is a lot of work for your body and it takes time for things to return to normal and for your body to heal from the effects of labor and delivery.  Your doctor will want to check up on you again a few weeks after you deliver to make sure everything is OK.

If you had a normal vaginal or cesarean delivery you will likely see your doctor about six weeks postpartum.  This visit is necessary so your doctor can make sure that you are healing well, everything is returning to normal with your body, and emotionally you are doing OK.  When your doctor wants to see you back in his or her office may vary, particularly if you need stitches or staples removed or you had any complications with your delivery.  On average though you can expect to be back in the doctor’s office four to six weeks after your baby is born.

At this postpartum visit you can expect a few things.  Of course, just like with your prenatal visits, your doctor may do things a little differently or you may need something different because of a special circumstance either with your delivery or your postpartum recovery.  The typical postpartum follow up appointment will include:

• Your doctor will ask you several questions about your postpartum recovery including:
  • how long after delivery you experienced vaginal bleeding
  • if you are still having any kind of vaginal discharge
  • if you are still experiencing any discomfort in you vaginal or rectum area (this can be particularly important if you had a tear or an episiotomy)
  • if you are feeling OK emotionally (he/she is checking for signs of postpartum depression)
  • determine if you have any questions about your postpartum recovery
• Your doctor will examine you to ensure that your uterus is returning to its normal size and that your cervix has healed.  This will involve an internal examine.
• If you had a tear or an episiotomy your doctor will examine that as well to make sure it is healing well.  If any stitches remain he/she may cut those out, they are designed to dissolve but if they aren’t buried well enough in the skin they may not.
• Your doctor will examine your breasts to check for any signs of clogged milk ducts, infections, or other problems common in breastfeeding moms.
• At this appointment your doctor will discuss with you whether it is OK to begin having sexual intercourse again or not.  If your tear/episiotomy is still healing you may need to wait a little while longer, but otherwise it is typically OK to begin having sex again after six weeks.  Your doctor will discuss what forms of birth control are OK at this point.
• If you delivered by cesarean section your visit will be similar to that of a woman who delivered vaginally, of course the incision for your cesarean will be examined as well.

If you have questions or concerns about anything this is the time to talk to your doctor about them as it may be a while before you are back in his or her office.  If you are feeling sad or depressed don’t be afraid to say so.  Your doctor is there to help you and will be able to work with you to control any postpartum depression you may be suffering.  If you feel like you need to see your doctor sooner than planned call his or her office.

Recently I was contacted by the creator of a new blog, PPDConnect, who is trying to spread the word about this new site where women can share their stories about postpartum depression.  I checked out the site and think it is a fantastic idea.  Postpartum depression often makes moms feel isolated and they often feel like no one else feels like they do or is going through what they are going through.  Having a place to go to share their story and read other women’s stories will be both comforting and helpful to those women suffering from postpartum depression.  Sometimes having someone to talk to you who knows what you are going through can make all the difference.

Be sure to stop by and check out PPDConnect.  Even if you have never suffered from postpartum depression it is both interesting and helpful to read the stories.

One of the more annoying little common postpartum complaints is hemorrhoids.  Hemorrhoids occur when the blood vessels around your rectal area have become unusually swollen.  They can range in size from small raisins to large grapes.  Hemorrhoids are often itchy and can be very painful, especially in the first few days postpartum.  You may find some bleeding in the rectal area especially after a bowel movement, this is normal.  Postpartum hemorrhoids are annoying, but thankfully temporary.

Some women get hemorrhoids during pregnancy, they are especially common during the third trimester when there is added pressure on the blood vessels in the lower part of your body.  If you had hemorrhoids during pregnancy you are probably an old pro at dealing with them already.  If your first experience is postpartum, you’ll quickly learn how to deal with them and make yourself feel better until they go away.

Postpartum hemorrhoids are caused as a result of all the pushing during the delivery.  Also, the added progesterone in your body causes the walls of your veins to relax, making them more susceptible to swelling.  Often the harder and longer you have to push the worse your hemorrhoids will be.  Luckily the nursing staff with be well equipped with tips and tricks to make dealing with your hemorrhoids much easier.

A few of the things that I was told while I was in the hospital after my delivery were to use Tucks pads to sooth the hemorrhoids, avoid straining when having my first bowel movement postpartum, and to avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time.  The Tucks pads worked well (they are also used to ease the pain and swelling of your perinium as well).  The nurses provided me with stool softeners while I was in the hospital and directed me to continue taking them when I got home (again, a lot of help).

Luckily this annoying postpartum complaint will go away fairly quickly.  Usually within a couple of weeks you will find your hemorrhoids have disappeared.  Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your hemorrhoids or if you have questions about how to deal with them.

I have to admit that I had a very easy pregnancy.  Not all women are blessed with an easy pregnancy, so I was very thankful.  Throughout the nine months I was free of any complications, I didn’t gain too much weight, I continued to exercise, and I felt great.  My doctor often said that I was making his job too easy, that was until my daughter was born.

As I mentioned in my post about our daughter’s arrival, she decided to enter this world with her one arm up beside her head causing some pretty significant tearing.  By the way she still loves to have her arms and hands up by her face!!  My doctor said after he had stitched me up that it was some of the worst tearing he had seen in a long time, not too comforting to hear.  He reassured us that he had taken his time (it took almost 2 hours) to make sure that every thing was stitch up well and that it should all heal just fine.  While he and another OB worked on stitching me up I did over hear something about a hematoma developing by the one internal tear but I didn’t really know what that meant.  I was told it shouldn’t cause any problems, and that I would just need to take it easy for a while.

Before I left the hospital my doctor and his partner both paid me a visit to check on me and make sure that everything looked ok.  Reassured that everything should be fine and equipped with the details on when I should call them I headed home.  Everything was great for the first few days.  I was, of course, in pain and taking the prescribed medication, but by the third or fourth day home I was off the heavy duty stuff and felt pretty good.  My husband and I decided to take our daughter for a quick little walk to the grocery store (which is two blocks away) so we could pick up a few things.  The walk went well and I continued to feel good for most of the day.

Around 8pm that night, the sixth day after our daughter was born, I began to notice I was bleeding a little heavier than I had been in the last couple of days and that the blood seemed to be pretty bright red (both signs of a potential problem).  I didn’t think too much about it at first figuring it was just because of the walk that day and decided I would just keep on eye on things.  As the evening progressed I continued to have the heavier bleeding and noticed a few small clots, I still didn’t think it was that big of a deal.  By the time my daughter got up to eat at about 11pm the bleeding had gotten increasing worse and I was going though several pads an hour.  I read through my information and determined that it was probably a good idea to call my doctor.  I woke my husband at around midnight, gave him the baby, and called my doctor’s exchange.  While I was awaiting his call I passed a very large clot (about the size of my fist) and was bleeding heavily.  Understandably I was pretty freaked out, as was my husband who doesn’t do too well around blood.  I explained what was going on to my doctor when he called and told him I was really scared.  He advised me to wait and see what happened over the next hour, if it didn’t slow down or got any worse I should head into the ER.  He explained that bleeding does sometimes happen and that it probably wasn’t anything to worry too much about.  I felt a little reassured after talking to him but was still freaking out a little.

So we laid in bed and we waited, by 1am I was still unable to stand without gushing a lot of blood so we packed up and headed to the ER.  By the time we arrived I had already bled through my pants and was feeling a little light headed.  I advised the ER nurse of this and she quickly got me to the bathroom where I could clean up and change and then into a bed.  The ER doctor came in to talk to me about what was going on and checked me out.  He determined, after much poking and prodding, that the bleeding appeared to be coming from one of my tears.  He advised they would send me for an ultrasound to make sure that the bleeding wasn’t coming from my uterus and he would call my doctor to let him know what was going on.  I couldn’t have the ultrasound right away cause my bladder wasn’t full so I was hooked up to an IV for fluids and waited.  Within minutes my doctor arrived at the hospital.  We talked a little bit about what the ER doctor had seen and he said that unfortunately he would have to check me as well.  Sure enough he found the same thing, bleeding from the one tear.  He packed me full of gauze to help slow the bleeding and made arrangements for emergency surgery to repair the tear.  Yikes, not exactly what I wanted to hear!

By 5am I was in the OR getting ready to have surgery.  The next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room all fixed up (the wonders of modern medicine).  I had lost a lot of blood both prior too and during the surgery so my doctor requested blood work to determine my hemoglobin levels.  Normal for a woman is 11, my results came back at 5.6, not good.  Since my levels were so low and I had lost so much blood it was determined that I would need a blood transfusion.  Later that morning I was hooked up to my first of two units of blood.  For the remainder of the day we sat around and waited while the transfusion was completed.

My doctor checked on me several times.  On his last visit he said that once the final unit of blood was complete and my blood was draw for another hemoglobin test I could go home.  He didn’t think I would get the rest I needed at the hospital and trusted my husband and I to be smart about things and call him immediately if something happened.  He said he would call me the next day with the blood test results and that I should come in to see him in a few days to get checked out again.  So we waited while the final unit of blood was administered and then by 9pm on the day our daughter turned one week old we were heading home, again.

So, it turns out that the hematoma that had developed under the one tear began to bleed when the swelling in the birth canal started to go down, that was what caused the hemorrhaging.  There was nothing I could have done any differently, and I was assured the walk I had taken that day had nothing to do with it.  The tear has now been repaired and on my follow up visit a few days later everything looked good.  It was a very scary thing to have to go through but I had a great husband to help me through, and an outstanding doctor.  I really can’t say enough about how important it is to choose the right caregiver for your prenatal care.

I’ve learned the hard way that things don’t always go the way you hoped after the delivery, sometimes complications come up.  The important thing is to know what to watch out for, to have good communication with your doctor, and to know yourself enough to recognize when something isn’t right.  It has now been two weeks since my little scare and everything seems to be ok.

Good news on the postpartum depression front.  The State of New Jersey became the first state to require that all mothers be screened for postpartum depression prior to being released from the hospital.  The new law became effective late in 2006.

Early diagnosis of postpartum depression, or a risk of postpartum depression, can help ensure a woman receives the right treatment to prevent PPD from taking over her life.  If a mother knows she is at risk, or knows she has postpartum depression, before leaving the hospital she will be able to make the necessary arrangements to have adequate help available, start any necessary medication immediately, and begin talking to a professional.

Close to 80-90% of women have some form of the baby blues during the first days and weeks after bringing their new baby home.  Postpartum depression is a more severe form of the baby blues.  Postpartum depression last longer and require medical or therapeutic assistance to overcome.  The rate of diagnosis of postpartum depression is up 20% in recent years partly because moms know more about the disorder and what to look for, doctors are more closely monitoring their patients for signs of the disorder, and people are more open to talking about it.

Hopefully we will see more states follow New Jersey’s lead and begin screening new moms before they leave the hospital.  At the very least every mother and her partner need to know what to look for.

For more information on postpartum depression visit postpartum.net.  If you think you may have postpartum depression talk to your doctor.

The birth of a new baby is a joyous and happy occasion, but it can also be very overwhelming. When you consider all the changes you body is going through, particularly when it comes to your hormones, as well as the inevitable lack of sleep, the stress of adjusting to your new schedule and new baby, and the pressure that women often put on themselves to be the best at everything it isn’t any wonder that many women suffer from some form of the “baby blues” or postpartum depression.

Luckily for many women the “baby blues” come and go quickly during the first weeks after the baby arrives. However, for some women these feelings do not go away or may become worse. The symptoms, like with any form of depression, can range from mild to severe. The following is a list of the common signs of postpartum depression.

• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of helplessness
• Suffering from deep sadness or crying a lot
• Being restless and irritable
• Lack of energy and feeling sluggish or exhausted
• Feelings of nervousness or being jumpy
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Lack of appetite and associated weight loss
• Having no interest in your new baby
• Being overly worried about your baby
• Withdrawing from friends and family
• No interest or pleasure in any activities, particularly those you used to really enjoy
• Either being unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
• Unable to cope with your daily tasks
• Thoughts of death, suicide, or harming your baby

If you have any of the above symptoms you should call your doctor immediately so you can get treatment. There are many treatment options for postpartum depression ranging from counseling to medication. The best treatment options for you will depend on how severe your symptoms are. Your doctor will be able to make recommendations for you and refer you to a therapist or support group.

No one knows for sure what causes postpartum depression, but hormones are suspected to be the likely cause.  Now that postpartum depression is more out in the open, hopefully more research will be done and more can be discovered about the causes. Studies have found that women with a personal or family history of depression are at an increased risk of suffering from postpartum depression. You are also more likely to suffer from postpartum depression if you suffered from it after a pregnancy.

Remember that you are not alone, many women suffer from postpartum depression. The best thing for you and your family is to get help, talk through it, and take care of yourself. Here is a very helpful website, Postpartum Support International.

Many hospitals and pediatricians advocate the practice of rooming in with your baby at the hospital. It allows for better bonding between mother and baby (dad and baby too), helps you get to know your child’s schedule and personality better before you head home, and has been found to help both mom and baby get comfortable with breastfeeding more easily.

Having the baby head to the nursery so you can get some much needed rest may sound appealing, especially if you had a particularly hard or long labor. However, researchers have found that mothers who room in with their babies and those who do not get relatively the same amount of rest. When you baby is off in the nursery you will often awake to the sound of any baby crying, worried that it is your own; and you will be woken up by the nursing staff as they will need to bring the baby in for feedings throughout the night. Although it seems like you would get more sleep if the baby wasn’t in the room, that isn’t necessarily the case.

Those early hours and days after birth are very important in the “getting to know you” and bonding process. The more time you spend together in those early days getting to know each other the faster you will learn your baby’s special personality, needs, and schedule. When you go home you will feel much more comfortable if you have spent a lot of time getting to know your baby in the hospital.

If you plan on breastfeeding your baby, which I am a huge advocate of, those early days are instrumental in being successful. Babies who spend their nights in the nursery are often given water and formula as supplements so mom can have more time to sleep. These supplements are often not necessary and can negatively impact the learning process for both mom and baby. Learning to breastfeed takes time, practice and patience. With the help of the valuable nursing staff at the hospital you can be successful, and are more likely to be successful if you have your baby room in with you. So why not?

Every situation is different so talk to your doctor about your specific needs. If you had a c-section or especially hard vaginal delivery your doctor may recommend having the baby spend the first night in the nursery so you can recover. Also, if your baby has any special needs then of course rooming in won’t be an option. The nursing staff, your obstetrician, and the pediatrician can talk to you about what is best for your situation and help you make the choice that is right for you and your baby.

No matter which option you choose remember to enjoy those first few days getting to know your new baby.